Slugger (Sequel to 'The Jet') Benny Rodriguez

Chapter 21

"Sports advertising?" Benny repeated you with a questioning gaze.

"Yeah, at least that's what he said. I'm not sure how everything would work but he set he could set it all up." You responded, pacing back and forth across the hardwood floor of your living room. The girls were sleeping soundly in their beds as of now, so you figured it was the perfect time to bring up yours and the coaches earlier conversation.

"Did you say yes?" He asked, tilting his head in a cute yet confused manner.

"No, not yet. I said I needed to talk to you about it, see what you think." You paused, looking at him. He looked lost, gazing up into your eyes like a puppy. "So what do you think?"

He widened his eyes before dropping his jaw, though nothing came from his lips.

It took him a minute to find the right words to convey how he felt.

"Well, I mean... if you want to, I think you should do it. But if you don't then you shouldn't. You know I'll support you for whatever you do." He finished, taking you hands in his and pressing a kiss to them before looking back at you with a smile.

"I think I wanna do it. He said I would need some model training or whatever, but I think I could do it." You smirked at him. Sure, you weren't a model, but with some training you could be. And besides, as the coach told you today, it wouldn't really be modeling as much as showing off sports wear while playing in front of the camera. He wanted to, as he so kindly put it, 'expose your abilities to the world.'

"I know you can. You would be a beautiful model. The prettiest around." He stood up, wrapping his arms around you and pulling your body against him. "And I know for certain you can rake it like no one out there."

He leaned in for a kiss, but you stopped him with a look he knew all too well.

"What?" He asked, a smirk on his face.

"I apparently do rake it like someone out there. When coach was watching me he thought I was you because of my swing." You told him, making his smile as wide as he could. "I can't drive it nearly as far, but then again, I'm not Benny the jet Rodriguez." You finished with a giggle.

"No, but you sure are a slugger. My slugger. My Mack." He said sweetly, but you corrected him.

"Sorry buddy, but I'm Rodriguez now... and I'm very happy to be." You started reading him by raking your fingers up and down his toned chest.

He leaned down and tried to kiss you once more, but you turned your head, looking at the clock on the wall.

"Would ya look at the time... we gotta get to bed." You tried to pull away from his embrace, but he had you totally and completely trapped.

"You have no idea how hard you're about to get it." He said lowly, his smirk taking over his face. His hands went down to your butt, squeezing softly as he finally pressed his lips to yours.

"Hard? You? Never." You laughed. It took you a moment to realize how it sounded but it was too late to take it back.

"Well that was offensive." He rolled his eyes before backing away from you slightly.

"No Benny, I just meant that, well... Benny you've never been rough with me. You're always so gentle and careful with me." You told him. His face softened and became serious as he pulled you to sit on his lap as he sat back into the couch.

"I know. I do it on purpose." He seemed kind of embarrassed almost to say what he was about to, though he didn't have any need to. "My love... I'm scared to hurt you. Terrified. I know that what happened to you in the past with Mikey messed with you. I just don't ever wanna do something that could make you feel like that towards me. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did."

You understood him, because you knew he was the one who had to rock you back to sleep whenever you had nightmares of Mikey. Still you felt as though he could be a little less gentle with you.

"Benny, I appreciate the thought, but I'm not made of glass. I can handle things like that now." Your hand went to the side of his face, caressing it softly.

He looked down at your legs, which were sitting at either side of his hips, and he sighed.

"I'm still scared. Mack, after Mikey did what he did you used to sleep with a switchblade by your nightstand. I remember that. I also remember how you felt like if I didn't hold you while you slept you wouldn't be able to sleep because you thought about what happened. Mack, you are the strongest, most beautiful person I've ever seen, but I've also seen another side of you. A side that isn't as tough as the side you show everyone else. I just don't wanna hurt you. I could never forgive myself." He said, finally looking back into your eyes with his glassy ones. The memories of you he had after the incident would forever haunt him. Even though you told him day in and day out never to blame himself, he still does. His gaze with yours only lasted a moment, for he dropped his head forward again, leaning it against your chest to hide how emotional he was getting over it. He couldn't help it. He was sensitive.

His mind went back to the very day it all happened, the day he was supposed to make love to you for the first time. He didn't get to. Instead he lost you. He would never let anything like that happen again.

"Benny, look at me." You rasied his face to look into his teary eyes. "My love you could never hurt me. And besides, I trust you more than anyone. I trust you with my life, and I trust you with my body." You told him, taking his hands and brining them back around your waist where they usually sat.

He nodded his head and smiled, blinking away the tears that never really fell. "Okay... I can try and be... not so gentle I guess."

You laughed lightly and kissed him, but it only lasted a quick second before he pulled back to speak.

"But I'm taking you right here." He said, and in an instant, he pulled you legs up, turning you so you fell into the couch. He came on top of you with more force than usual, and you instantly took notice of his different it was. You liked it. You'd never seen this side of Benny. Sure, when it came to sex, he was more dominant... but only because he liked to be on top of you. Now that he'd started on like this, it was almost strange for his aggressive he was. It was a good strange.

You and Benny went four rounds before even making it to your room.... where you went an additional three rounds before finally collapsing and falling asleep.